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Common Core – Share Your Thoughts and Experiences

My school district is in the process of rolling out Common Core, and it is expected to be fully implemented in the upcoming 2014/15 school year. I’ve read enough about Common Core to have some serious concerns about it. I have an opportunity to meet with our Superintendent in a couple of weeks to talk about Common Core, and I would like to bring some questions to the table that will foster meaningful discussion. So I am asking for your thoughts and experiences with Common Core. If you are a parent or educator who has already dealt with Common Core in your schools, please share your thoughts and experiences here in the comments section. Good, bad, neutral – I want to hear it all. If your district has not yet implemented Common Core but plans to, what are your concerns and questions?

I look forward to lots of feedback. Thank you!

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14 thoughts on “Common Core – Share Your Thoughts and Experiences”

Lisa, I would love to leave comments as an educator and a parent when I get the time. However, I an wondering, what is you current understanding of Common Core as you begin to ponder this future meeting? There are lots of topics to cover…???? Have you read the CCS for Math and Language Arts? Are you familiar with the Mathematical Practices? I am just learning about all of this and would like to know where you are at in your understanding right now. Thanks.

I deal with the CCSS every day. I seldom hear a complaint that is actually about the CCSS.

A few things…
*Most folks don’t know the CCSS is a set of standards or expected outcomes, not a curriculum.
*The CCSS set a baseline, not a finish line; they really stop at 10th grade.
*The writers encourage states, districts or schools to add their own higher level standards to supplement the CC. That is part of the design and done intentionally.
*The CCSS does not include any assessments. Assessing is a recognized separate issue.
*The CCSS are only for math and literacy; again – intentionally so.

I support the CCSS and I am a conservative with Tea Party and libertarian tendancies. But I also have 25 years of experience in the field at all levels from the classroom to the state department of education in my home state. Oh, and a dad of two high school daughters.

I will be honest and say that I have not become familiar with the actual Common Core Standards. All the articles I’ve read, though, about how CCS was developed and the disastrous results it’s had in places that have implemented them – it scares me. And in addition to worrying about how it will impact my typically-developing kids, I can’t help but worry even more about how it will impact students with disabilities.

I have read all of the scary articles as well, Lisa. I am frightened as a parent as I have a child with special needs entering 8th Grade. I do not like the game being changed on her in the middle of her public school career. I also do not like the CCS were not field tested before being adopted. I am especially unhappy that another test will be attached to the end of each year and I am against that completely for so many reasons.

As a teacher, I have begun to implement some common core reading and writing standards in my 2nd Grade classroom of Second-Language learners. I have to say, it is challenging, but I cannot say I totally dislike it. I have yet to see where my district will take things. So far, we have been given an “experimental grace period” which is an unusual feeling of freedom that I haven’t had in awhile as an educator.

The students are asked to think more deeply about things, to ask more questions. I am giving them tools to do that. It is slow going , but they are engaged and it may just be rewarding. I cannot say yet.

Right now, I am practicing “Close Reading” and “Signposts” (see “Notice and Note” by Beers and Probst) and I really kind of like it. The students are starting to like it, too. They are starting to “own” the questioning process while reading and are having better discussions.

I will say that I have delved into professional reading to grasp the research behind what I am doing rather then just accept it from a short inservice from my district. That has been rewarding for me and has given me insight into the reasons why some of the Lang Arts standards were developed.

I LOVE that we are not teaching the writing process step by step in my district anymore. Rather, we are treating it more organically and like a “Writer’s Workshop.” Students are writing much better pieces and the level of engagement has increased significantly.

In Math, I was VERY anxious. I will remain anxious for my own child who will be so challenged to explain her answers. I am just learning about CCMath and will start to try a few tasks next week. My anxiety was lowered yesterday after talking with my grade level team and looking at some tasks to try. It didn’t look so bad. KNOW THAT I WILL NOT BE A TEACHER THAT SENDS HOME CONFUSING CC HOMEWORK!

I like that the students will get more time on each concept in Math. I like that they will go deeper into each concept and there will not be a race to cover so much material each year. I think the finding of alternative strategies will be very challenging for older students who have not been trained this way. I will be modeling a lot for 2nd Grade before they start to share alternate strategies and …here we go…EXPLAIN THEIR THINKING. HMMM..ya. I think this will be very hard for some older students. It will be very hard for my special needs daughter.

Anyway, I earn a living by teaching. I basically do not trust anything that comes down the pike. Yet, I have to find a measure of joy and meaning in what I do and feel good about what I am teaching the kids. I read. I study. I ask to watch other teachers. I will have a lot more to say after I have done this for awhile.

I do not agree with testing. I KNOW that teachers did not get a say in the development of CC and I think that is wrong. I know that Bill Gates and the BRoad Foundation are driving a lot of Education Reform and I think that is wrong.

I thank you for your time an energy. I hope that I can let you know more as this unfolds. I am forcing myself to be positive because the alternative is misery and I can’t afford that as a single mom living with autism. I’ve gotta keep an open mind and keep moving. I love the kids and that is always on my mind.

Lisa,
Since the topic is big and you have much good real experiences and feedback so far, so I was thinking what I might consider doing if I had that meeting given that it is easy to digress and spend your limited time with your leader, I would bring some clear simple examples of what some of the poor questions are ie. Angry Mom post without the parent response. 2 Math questions and 2 Lang. Arts. Walk then slowly walk through the process of what you see, what the student sees and how the student might answer. Then after he understands, remind that these types of questions will be on the tests (SBAC, PARCC) and on the classroom tests and used for homework (another topic for another day). Perhaps bring some questions (same grade level) from current standardized tests to compare clarity. Using Common Core philosophy deeply look and review through the few questions presented. If there is too much ‘noise’ or too many emotional stories etc. He will tune out and then start with the usual salesy eduspeak to get the meeting overwith and send you on your way with a formal polite smile, making you think you were actually heard. Redirect him back to your focused examples and be sure you actually feel heard and understood.

If this guy cannot do this or his ‘tank’ is full, then you can always ask to try another day. It may take a while for the light of reality to become absorbed. Just keep going and one day MILLIONS of parents and students and teachers will struggle and the picture will become clearer to everyone. In the meantime, at least you can bring that clarity to your children and they will learn much and become ready to be parents too.
My daughter is 18 and graduated so together we watch out for her brother 13 going on 14 heading to high school next year.

Our district rolled out CC for language arts last year, when my daughter was in 3rd grade, and I wasn’t terribly impressed. It involves a lot of taking notes while reading, which I think just interrupts the reading process, especially for younger readers. It seems to me to be encouraging or reinforcing a lack of attention span, read, write, read, write, read, write, rather than just read, read, read, read, and then write. My daughter most likely has ADHD and I want to encourage her to just sit & read & learn to enjoy the process of taking in the information, and not be distracted to write down her thoughts every few seconds.

But they introduced CC for math this year, and I’m very impressed with it, so far. My daughter really struggled with math in 2nd & 3rd grades, not so much with the actual math part but with the understanding the explanations part. She’d come home frustrated and I’d go over it with her in a different way and it would click for her. But that was tedious & tiresome for both of us, after her long day of school & my long day of work, and it was frustrating if something showed up on a test that I hadn’t been able to teach her in a way she could understand. This year, everything is clicking for her the very first time! I have no idea what they are doing different, I don’t know if it’s CC, or if it’s the new teacher or if it’s the 10 extra minutes of allotted math time every day, or if she’s simply matured a bit, but it’s working!

One thing that I’m very worried about, and which I’m considering options on, is that the testing will be computer-based. I like that computer-based testing can “understand” how the child is solving the problem, rather than just scoring right or wrong answers, but my daughter is not computer-literate and she has no desire to be, and I refuse to push it on her at this age (almost 10.) She doesn’t like computer-based learning at all, she doesn’t do well with it, and I’m worried that computer-based testing might just be too much and she’ll flat-out refuse to do it, or purposely do things wrong because she doesn’t want to be on the computer. We had those problems with computer-based math tutoring! She is happy to flip through actual flash cards, but she won’t do “flash card” games on the computer.

And I have a good friend who is a teacher, and while she likes the more organic processes that come with CC and she likes that she has the time & freedom to get the kids to really *think* about things, she says the grading process is horrendous. She’s gone from grading 12 key academic standards to something like 70 academic standards, and that’s for 22 kids four times a year. She said website isn’t user-friendly at all, and prone to crashing, so the amount of time it took her to create grade reports was ridiculous. She said she really hopes they improve that part of it because it really takes the fun & joy out of being a teacher.

I’ll be interested to hear how your meeting with the superintendent goes!

We are in the Fullerton school district, which I believe is where your kids are and I have MAJOR concerns about the common core. I have 1 in school. I have more frustration and worry about the testing, but when I asked some very direct questions at the district, I was not given an answer. They ignored my email. The teachers at his school like it because they have to support this as their job depends on it. THanks for your blog…I have the exact same feelings!

Tami, yes, we are in the FSD. I have five currently in Fullerton elementary schools and one in high school. Several local parents are meeting at Peet’s Coffee across from St. Jude Hospital on Monday the 14th at 4:15 with Dr. Pletka to talk about Common Core. I’ve expressed some concerns on his FB page and it’s clear that he’s just going to continue to talk up CC without really addressing concerns in any meaningful way, but I’m going on Monday, anyway. You’re welcome to join us!

Aloha Lisa!
I have been following your blog “Life As I Know It” for the last 3 years or so, as I also have a child, 3, with Down Syndrome. After reading about your experiences with Finn in school and IEP nightmares, as well as other extensive research I have done and having an 11 year old currently in public school, my husband and I decided that home school is the best for our child and our family. Common Core is not right for our children.
We just took our 6th grader in the “gifted/talented” program out of school 1 1/2 months before “6th grade graduation” per his request. I have been talking about my commitment to home school him for the past 3 years, if, or when, he chooses. Its only been 2 weeks, but he tells me, almost daily, how happy he is– the best thing a parent could ever hear from their child.
I oukd write so much more, but im on my tablet and I dont have the patience. I will follow up on our desktop when I get the chance. Mahalo! (Thank you!)

Hi Sarah! I have given homeschooling some thought, but I honestly don’t think I’m cut out for it. I’m already pulled in so many directions, I really don’t think I could devote the time and energy that homeschooling requires.

"It's strange how teachers can go off to college for all those years to learn to become teachers, but some of them never learn the easy stuff. Like making kids laugh. And making sure that they know that you love them." -- Budo, Memoirs of An Imaginary Friend

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I'm Lisa, mom to seven kids, five of whom are currently in grade school (one with special needs), and one who is in high school. Here I share my thoughts and experiences with the educational landscape in which my kids live.

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